Electronic Labeling: A Paperless Future?

Abstract

The United States pharmaceutical industry and the Food and Drug Administration are both moving rapidly to make professional labeling for prescription products available to a wide audience via electronic means. Technology available today could allow every physician and pharmacist to easily obtain the most recent prescribing information electronically via the Internet. It is suggested that the package insert, that is, the printed professional labeling which accompanies the actual product, is an obsolete method for information dissemination. Elimination of the paper package insert would save money and time to market launch. Access to electronic professional labeling would assure that the customer and prescribing physician have the most recent version of the labeling available for their use.